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NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 2005
font color="blue">The Legends of Christmas Birds
The feasting and sharing associated with the holidays was expanded long ago to include special care of birds and animals at Christmas time.
In Hungary, the last sheaf of grain at harvest is kept, and then given to the wild birds on New Year's morning. In Germany, corn is placed on rooftops for birds on Christmas Eve. And in Sweden, bread crumbs, seeds, or a sheaf of grain are placed at the top of a long pole in an area where birds are known to congregate. It is possible that this custom may have at one time been an offering to ancestral spirits, but over the years it has evolved into a tradition of feeding the birds during the holiday season.
Have you heard the legend of the birds' nest? Good luck is supposed to come to a household that has a nest in its Christmas tree.
There is even a legend suggesting that when the Three Wise Men were on their journey to Bethlehem, they summoned the birds of the woods to follow them. It is said that all of the birds immediatley took flight except for the owl who kept muttering, "Who? Who?" as if demanding to know who would dare ask him to leave his comfortable nest to fly off to an unknown destination. This legend goes on to say that the owl refused to go and that every night he still asks, "Who? Who?"
If you feed the birds at Christmas, the sights and sounds of the outdoor festivity can add greatly to the zest and warmth going on inside during this festive celebration.
DECORATE AN OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS TREE FOR THE BIRDS!
Christmas is for the birds too! You can decorate a tree, and give the birds in your neighborhood a merry Christmas! Here are some ideas:
BAGEL WREATHS
You will need:
stale bagels
peanut butter (chunky unsalted peanut butter is best)
bird seed (mixed variety)
bacon fat or melted suet
cornmeal
red yarn
Spread the mixture on the bagels. Tie the yarn through the bagel hole to hang.
PINECONE BIRD FEEDERS
You will need:
large pinecones
peanut butter (unsalted chunky)
bird seed (mixed variety)
bacon fat or melted suet
cornmeal
red yarn
Mix the peanut butter, fat, cornmeal, and birdseed. Spread it thickly on the pinecone "petals". Tie a piece of red yarn to the top of the pinecone.
Tie the pinecone to a tree branch.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
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